SS George Shiras

History
United States
Name	George Shiras
Namesake	George Shiras
Owner	War Shipping Administration (WSA)
Operator	Prudential Steamship Corporation
Ordered	as type (EC2-S-C1) hull, MCE hull 939
Awarded	30 January 1942
Builder	Bethlehem-Fairfield Shipyard, Baltimore, Maryland [1]
Cost	$1,073,496 [2]
Yard number	2089
Way number	14
Laid down	22 December 1942
Launched	5 February 1943
Sponsored by	Mrs. Roberson Thompson
Completed	15 February 1943
Identification	Call sign: KKAP [2]
Fate	Sold 8 November 1946
United States
Owner	Atlantic Maritime Company, Inc.
Renamed	Atlantic Breeze
Fate	Scrapped 1968
General characteristics [3]
Class & type	Liberty ship type EC2-S-C1, standard
Tonnage	10,865 LT  DWT 7,176  GRT
Displacement	3,380 long tons (3,434  t) (light) 14,245 long tons (14,474  t) (max)
Length	441 feet 6 inches (135 m) oa 416 feet (127 m) pp 427 feet (130 m) lwl
Beam	57 feet (17 m)
Draft	27 ft 9.25 in (8.4646 m)
Installed power	2 × Oil fired 450 °F (232 °C) boilers, operating at 220 psi (1,500 kPa) 2,500 hp (1,900 kW)
Propulsion	1 × triple-expansion steam engine,  (manufactured by General Machinery Corp., Hamilton, Ohio) 1 × screw propeller
Speed	11.5 knots (21.3  km/h; 13.2  mph)
Capacity	562,608 cubic feet (15,931 m3) (grain) 499,573 cubic feet (14,146 m3) (bale)
Complement	38–62 USMM 21–40 USNAG
Armament	Varied by ship Bow-mounted 3-inch (76 mm)/50-caliber gun Stern-mounted 4-inch (102 mm)/50-caliber gun 2–8 × single 20-millimeter (0.79 in) Oerlikon anti-aircraft (AA) cannons and/or, 2–8 × 37-millimeter (1.46 in) M1 AA guns

SS George Shiras was a Liberty ship built in the United States during World War II. She was named after George Shiras, an American lawyer who served as an Associate Justice of the Supreme Court of the United States, from 1892 to 1903.

Construction

George Shiras was laid down on 22 December 1942, under a Maritime Commission (MARCOM) contract, MCE hull 939, by the Bethlehem-Fairfield Shipyard, Baltimore, Maryland; she was sponsored by Mrs. Roberson Thompson, and launched on 5 February 1943. ^{[1] [2]}

History

She was allocated to the Prudential Steamship Corp., on 15 February 1943. ^[4]

On 8 November 1946, she was sold for $544,506, to Atlantic Maritime Company, Inc., for service. ^[4] She scrapped in 1968. ^[1]

References

1. Bethlehem-Fairfield Shipyards 2021.
2. MARCOM.
3. Davies 2004, p. 23.
4. MARAD.

Bibliography

• "Bethlehem-Fairfield, Baltimore MD". www.ShipbuildingHistory.com. 7 August 2021. Retrieved 18 July 2025.
• Maritime Administration. "George Shiras". Ship History Database Vessel Status Card. U.S. Department of Transportation, Maritime Administration. Retrieved 18 July 2025.
• Davies, James (May 2004). "Specifications (As-Built)" (PDF). p. 23. Retrieved 18 July 2025.
• "SS George Shiras" . Retrieved 18 July 2025.